Also called: Army 12T, Marine 1361 Engineer Assistant, Air Force 3E5 Engineering
Surveys land, drafts plans, and tests soil and concrete for military construction projects.
Technical engineers use GPS survey gear and drones to map sites, run soil and concrete strength tests, and draft plans in CAD for roads and buildings.
Regular military compensation (RMC = base pay + housing and food allowances + their tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-6 ranks, 2026 estimate. Cash in hand is lower early on because junior troops often live in free barracks and eat in dining halls. Enlistment bonuses can add thousands.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0.5 years after high school. High school diploma and ASVAB, then basic training plus about 3 months of technical job training. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Surveying, Civil Engineering Technology.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Medium risk for 10 years. Drones and GPS automate much surveying and drafting; soil and concrete testing stay hands-on.
Classes: Geometry / trigonometry, Drafting / CAD, Earth science.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.